In the aftermath of a disappointing World Cup campaign, Pakistan’s cricket landscape witnessed a seismic shift as Babar Azam, the team’s captain across all formats, decided to step down. The journey that led to this decision unfolded with crushing defeats, close losses, and the emergence of a new leadership era.
The Babar-led side faced formidable challenges in the group stage, succumbing to defeats against India and Afghanistan. Close encounters with Australia and South Africa added to the woes, resulting in an early exit from the tournament with 8 points in nine matches.
Babar Azam, in a statement on social media, confirmed his departure from the captaincy role, describing it as a difficult but necessary decision. He expressed his commitment to continue representing Pakistan as a player in all three formats.
Following Babar’s resignation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) swiftly announced Shaheen Afridi as the captain for T20Is. The decision, however, sparked controversy and conspiracy theories, with speculations about the role played by former captain Shahid Afridi, who is also Shaheen’s father-in-law.
Reports emerged suggesting dressing room tensions between Babar and Shaheen since the Asia Cup elimination in September. Shahid Afridi faced allegations of lobbying for Shaheen’s captaincy, a claim he vehemently denied. Afridi insisted that he did not support Shaheen’s captaincy and advocated for Mohammad Rizwan as the white-ball captain, with Babar retaining his leadership role in Tests.
Speaking on Samaa TV, Shahid Afridi clarified his stance, stating, “Shaheen as captain is entirely Mohammad Hafeez’s and the PCB chairman’s decision. I have nothing to do with that. I never lobbied for Shaheen’s captaincy. In fact, I have always wanted to keep Shaheen away from the captaincy.”
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Afridi asserted his preference for Mohammad Rizwan as the white-ball captain and Babar Azam as the captain of the Test team. He communicated these preferences to the PCB chairman, emphasizing that he was never in favour of Babar’s removal.
“I was never in favour of Babar Azam’s removal. I also told the PCB chairman that he should not remove Babar from the captaincy. I wanted Mohammad Rizwan to be the white-ball captain and Babar to be the captain of the Test team,” he further said.
In the same meeting where Babar announced his resignation, former captain Mohammad Hafeez was appointed as the team director, ushering in a new era for Pakistan cricket.
